.. _backup-size-considerations:

Backup size considerations
--------------------------

.. index:: drives;drives add
.. index:: backup;backup create
.. index:: voss;voss db_collection_stats



Default backup partition size
.................................

The default backup partition size is 50GB for the default 250GB database partition size.
These are the default partition installation sizes.

.. important::

   Backups should be created and restored in a ``tmux`` session. For details, refer to :ref:`tmux-command`.


Backup space requirements 
.............................

Consider the following: 

* A local backup requires free space of at least twice the size of the database. Preferably add an 
  additional 30%. 

  At any given time, it is recommended that available backup space should be approximately
  twice the database size plus 30% of the database size.

  For remote backups, the backup requires free space of at least the size of the database plus an additional 
  30%.

* Database growth over time needs to be considered and allowed for in the backup partition size.
* Space for multiple local backups also needs to be considered and added to the calculated backup partition size.


Run a size check
....................

To determine the required space needed to perform a backup for a specific backup partition, from the 
CLI, run the following command: 

``backup create <location-name>``

The command output indicates the required space needed to do the backup.
  
If the current backup partition size is too small, the command will fail and suggest the size of the 
partition required. 


Increase size 
..............

To increase the size of the backup partition, use the following command: ``drives add``
  
.. raw:: html
   
   <p>Refer to <a href="../platform/reference-system-drive-control.html">Drive Control</a></p>

.. raw:: latex

   Refer to the Drive Control topic in the Platform Guide.

If there is sufficient space but only a size check is required, the backup command can be canceled 
(**Ctrl-C**), if needed.



Display size of current database 
.................................

To display the size of the current database, run: ``voss db_collection_stats all``

This command validates the size of the database. This total will be smaller than the suggested backup size.